Coaches and livery

The Royal Mews houses the royal collection of historic carriages and coaches, which you may see in use during your visit. The most dazzling vehicle of all is the Gold State Coach, which was built for George III in 1762. Weighing almost four tonnes and requiring eight horses to pull it, it has carried every monarch to their coronation since 1821.

Among the vehicles on display are the Irish State Coach, purchased by Queen Victoria for £858 in 1852. Queen Victoria, King George VI and Her Majesty The Queen have all travelled to the State Opening of Parliament in this carriage. The 1902 State Landau, built by the firm of Hoopers in 1902 for King Edward VII, has been used for recent royal weddings including that of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The newest coach on display at the Mews is The Diamond Jubilee State Coach. Built to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, it is only the second coach to be built for the Royal Household in over a century.

Visitors to the Royal Mews can also see some of the fine livery worn by The Queen’s coachmen. Apart from a few small details, it remains much the same as it was in Victorian times. Remarkably, some of the tailors used for production of liveries today are the same companies employed during the reign of George III in the 18th century.